Do you sleep hot or cold?
Do you wake up in a sweat or shivering.
Do you toss and turn because your body just can’t find the right temperature.
If so then this message is just for you. Here’s why…
In this post I’m reviewing the Chilipad Sleep System
I’m Laura Maynard and I’m a fan of sleep Tech according to a totally Dependable poll.
I once saw on Reddit the average person cumulatively spends more than 229,961 hours in bed over a lifetime.
So it makes sense to try to maximize the comfort of those hours or probably more accurately about 8 hours a day.
Now, that’s why I was excited when I found out about this cooling bed mattress topper.
I’ve been keeping an eye on one of these babies for suite awhile now.
It claimed to address my biggest problem while sleeping.
You see I hate sleeping hot but I love my weighted blanket too.
The idea is relatively simple create a device that can heat or cool water then circulate that water through a mattress pad to heat or cool your sleeping area to your desired Comfort temperature.
It’s definitely a simple idea but complicated to do properly the way that the chili pad does.
It is through a two-part system comprised of the control unit and the hydronic pad.
Starting at just $499 the control box measures about 9. inches long 10.5 inches wide and 7.5 inches high with an interior 390 millilitres water reservoir.
It uses a reversible heat pump to heat or cool that water between 55 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then it circulates it through the hydronic pad.
It comes with a remote control so that the control unit doesn’t have to be immediately accessible after your installation and it’s designed to automatically protect itself by shutting off should the reservoir fall below a safe operating level.
The hydronic pad comes in sizes from Queen all the way up to California king in both single system or dual zone.
It uses several meters of 3.2 millimeter silicone tubing integrated into the pad to flow the water through the entire surface.
It has an 8-foot tail for connecting the hydronic pad to the cube and the pad is machine washable and uses polyfill so that you can place your fitted sheet directly over the pad.
Using the chilly pad starts by stripping your bed so that you can lay the pad on the mattress.
There is an elastic band attached to the pad that secures it to the mattress so that it doesn’t slide out of position. Pretty much like any standard mattress pad protector, electric blanket system.
You can position the tail at the head or the foot of your bed, depending on where you want to house the control unit.
Now speaking of the control unit, you’ll need a flat surface on which to place it.
The spot needs to have two feet of uninterrupted airflow on all sides as the system going to need that airflow to properly operate the heat pump.
Once you’ve got a location for the cube connect it to the tail from the hydronic pad then plug the it into a power outlet.
Unscrew the cap of the water reservoir, which should always be facing upwards and fill it with distilled water.
Now distilled is optional in the manual. But for me any water circulation device should avoid regular or softened water because that will cause mineral build up over time.
This is tech that we want to be using for years if not decades, so let’s treat it right.
After filling the tank, turn it on and set the temp to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
As the water circulates through the tubes in the hydronic pad the water level in the reservoir will drop.
Go ahead and refill it until it’s stabilizes then cap the tank.
While the pad is still uncovered go ahead and make sure that it reaches your desired temperature testing both the heating and cooling functions.
If everything checks out you can redress your bed minus old pad and you’ve just finished installation and you are now good to go.
But the question is, how does it feel.
In a word Heavenly.
Now, I’ve never had an experience where the bed kept me at my perfect sleeping temperature and it is so much better than what I’ve done in the past.
I love sleeping cold. I keep my windows open in the winter. I blow fans on myself in the summer, but that always causes discomfort because no matter how cool I make my room.
I’m still building up heat in my mattress, and that causes me to toss and turn.
With the chiliy pad and after a few nights to dial it in I was able to sleep all through the night waking up in the same position that I was in when I went to bed.
Not only that but cooling just the bed is far more energy efficient than trying to cool the entire room or the entire house.
So this is one of those sleep technologies that will spoil you for regular mattresses because it is just so much more comfortable.
But yet because the modular design of the chili pad allows you to multi-zone your bed.
That means that if you share it with a partner they can set their side of the bed at a different temperature than your side.
You can have your 55-degree igloo while they enjoy sleeping on a warm 110 degree beach .
Now, it should be noted that while the cube can heat or cool the water between 55 and 110 Fahrenheit that’s not necessarily going to be the temperature of the pad itself.
Those pesky laws of thermodynamics mean that the temperature of the room the mattress your body and the thermal conductivity of your bedding will all affect the temperature that you feel.
For me setting the temp to 60 meant my bed stayed at about 72 degrees, which was perfect. But that’s just me.
I was really impressed by the chili Pad, but that’s not to say that it’s for everybody.
If you don’t currently have heat-related sleeping issues, then you Might not fully appreciate the chili pad.
Also if you’re an extra light sleeper the pump and fan could potentially wake you.
Barring that, the Chilipad sleep system is a fantastic piece of tech that I recommend for anybody who thinks that they can get a better night’s sleep with better heat management.